A Brief History of Lansing Monarchs
OOC Foreword Due to being inspired by the "Salvarian Monarch" version of A Brief History and the idea in general, I decided to tackle one of the other well known dynasties. Please remember that this is written as mild propaganda and some characters may be exaggerated in both negative and positive lights. The Text Introduction A Brief History of Lansing Monarchs By King Aranitus of the Misthalites. After reading the historical works of Wilmor Harley and Albert Trevithick on the "Salvarian" (Grey) Monarchs, it occurred to be that no great history has ever been drafted of the legitimate Misthalite line. A line which, in its deliverance of peace and justice to the peoples of Misthalin, is most deserving of such documentation and remembrance. Taking a leaf out of the books of these Asgarnian historians, I seek to write a similar history, one of the Katrinian Lansings, detailing the achievements, policies and contributions of the various monarchs from this most exalted and beneficent family. Katrina the Magnanimous The ripe acorn from which the entire Lansing line has grown was not short of her own beauties and talents. Katrina, who started off as Queen but came to enjoy the exhortation of Empress, was renowned for her kindness and motherly care to the nation, and was known before her rise to royalty as an astute, and friendly doctor, tending to the sick. It is, perhaps, that experience that enabled her to take a country broken by years of occupation and war from mad Forinthrian cultists and jingoistic factions, and bring to it new life. The Lansing progenitor faced many trials and tribulations in her reign, meeting each with her motherly protection. She, like many at the time, faced the threat of a return by the notorious Zamorakian warlord Russia Blood, and saved her people with an astute defence of the city, aided by many allies, thus sparing Varrock, and all Misthalin, from the oppression they would have faced under his rule. Her ability as a diplomat came through here in charming the Kinshra, who had long term geopolitical interests in subjugating Varrock themselves, into aligning with her coalition - her words able to connect with even the most distant and lost of souls. Also key amongst her triumphs was her role as the re-unifier of Misthalin, restoring the provinces of Lumbridge and Draynor to Varrock's authority, and once again bringing them back into their rightful national fold. With neither warfare nor machtpolitik was this achieved, but simply with the same tactful and genuine diplomacy that defined her character, warming the hearts of Duke Sekra and Lord Courval, and convincing them to accept the need for Misthalin to be restored to wholeness. After facing the trials posted by the Dragonkin Worshipers, the resurgent Russia and even love lost, the noble Katrina still had so much more to give. This was proven in the fateful Battle of Lumbridge - the dukedom under her suzerainty was suddenly plunged into chaos by the titanic battle between the returned gods Zamorak and Saradomin. Gods, however, could not stop her from protecting the people, and her swift and diligent establishment of relief camps and military perimeters helped heal those broken by the crisis, and shielded others from becoming embroiled in it, even seeing off an attempt by her own son Vectis to intercede in the early days of the incident. The story of Katrina Lansing didn’t end with any great ceremony, she expired quietly, surrounded by her family in the royal bedchamber. After some last words to her loving kin, and a few last flickers of her soft eyes, the illustrious sovereign died, leaving behind what is perhaps one of the greatest legacies of any monarch in all Gielinor. Kylara the Brave Queen Kylara was her mother's daughter, that could never be disputed. A fair and courageous ruler, she faced attack after attack on the Kingdom of Misthalin. From demonic rifts to other wanton, but dangerous, magical phenomena. One such incident started when mist formed around Lumbridge and people were disappearing into it, never to return. Kylara sent teams to investigate, and they entered Aglaia's realm of horrors. From there they weakened Aglaia enough to put an end to the mist, however were unable to defeat Aglaia herself. Later in her reign, she was faced with horrors and nightmares beyond the wildest dreams as vampyres surged across the Salve and sought to establish their blood tithes and tyrannical practices over the West. Though she initially lost control of Varrock, she would return with the forces of her country to repel the bloodthirsty threat back across the Salve, ending their campaign of evil. However, ambiguity over where Prince Aaron had perished in the conflict led her to abdicate in justified grief, letting her elder kinsman Caden assume her responsibilities Caden the Peacekeeper Though he was not the obvious choice for the throne, nor one many people expected, and though he chose not to bear the Lansing name, Caden rose to the throne as a firm and fair monarch. Regarded by this history as a Lansing through having Katrina the Magnanimous as his mother, he did not have a long or expansive reign, however he did achieve something quite great: He managed to quell the tensions between the Argrevian Empire and the weak Kingdom of Falador, protecting the latter's freedoms and independence. 'Aaron the Protector ' King Aaron was one of the more famous dynasts of the Lansing bloodline, well known for his valiant fight against the vyres and his ardent protection of the Misthalite people. Though many of his feats were carried out whilst he was a Prince and Archduke, he was still a respected and revered king due to his sacrifices for the cause of peace. His most famous victory was driving back the dark hordes of Morytania back across the River Salve and back into the dreaded wastelands therein. He was joined by his Forinthrian ward, Ali, a staunch ally of in any fights which threatened Misthalin. Aaron vanished after the Battle of Paterdomus and was thought dead for a time. However, he had merely been captured by the vyres and yet he foiled them once more, returning at the vanguard of a great number of prisoners, freed from bondage and brought back to the bosom of Misthalite liberty. Another significant achievement to his name was the restoration of the Wizards' Tower from the suspect and secretive House Aren, a family that meddled in the grey areas of magic on a regular basis. He brought the Tower away from those who would abuse it. He also secured a pact that guaranteed the neutrality of the Tower from conflict, making sure that it was forever preserved as a place of learning, as it continues to this day. After a strong and healthy reign, Aaron would later abdicate in favour of his daughter Elrina, and would then embark on his greatest mission yet: to serve alongside the valiant and dauntless Void Knight Order. He had faced threats to Misthalin time and time again, but the threat he wanted to combat this time was a threat to the entire world and not just the sliver of land he once ruled - the Pest menace. Aaron left to pursue that military career, once more being the Vanguard, but not just for Misthalin, but for all Gielinor. Elrina the Unionist Queen Elrina reigned over Misthalin twice: firstly after her father's reign and secondly after Misthalin was sundered by the Kinshra and foreign militants. Her first rule had face off against the Church of Saradomin when they tried to interfere in and blight her lands, and aiding the then Ibrimid Sultan of the Kharid, Rahal, in stopping a holy crusade from tearing through his lands and into Menaphos. Her second had her deal with the shattered state of her family's kingdom, and the fight for reuniting it. Her various disputes with the Church of Saradomin began as they harassed her and her vassal, Grand Duke Lothar of Lumbridge, due to their opposition to Divine Rector Julianus' intended bloodbath against the Kharidian people. This caused the church to instigate civil unrest and some near violent altercation between the government and the Archbishop of Varrock., She managed to bring about stability in the wake of these events, stabilising Misthalin once more despite their assassinations, subterfuge and plot. Her second reign came in a time of turmoil as the warlord and invader Serov took control of the capital and the Kinshra took Edgeville captive under their iron fist. Forces loyal to the true and legitimate Lansings, however, managed to keep control of the south of the Kingdom. This Kingdom of Southern Misthalin did not need to last long, as after several conflicts and diplomatic meetings, Edgeville would eventually be removed from the Black Knights, albeit razed to the ground by the bloodthirsty madman Skeat. Later, after the pretender Elizabeth of Avarrocka was betrayed by her own men, she conceded to Elrina and after a small battle, Varrock would once again be in her hands, thus reuniting Misthalin once more. Lumina the Just One of the shorter reigns of the Lansing Dynasty, due to Elrina having no children to inherit after her first rule, her younger half sister Lumina took the throne, ushering in the more Serenist-inspired policies that have come from Misthalin in its more recent history. One notable victory she had was slaying the leader of the hobgoblins who threatened to raze and destroy Draynor, protecting the small county from ruin. Her reign was otherwise peaceful and uneventful. Lavinia the Martyr Known as the Face of Misthalin, even during Queen Lumina' rule, Lavinia was already a much loved and revered member of the Misthalite aristocracy and so when she was made Queen by order of her predecessor there was little resistance to the idea. She was a fair and just ruler, much like those before, and was always joined by her famous and loyal Queensguards: Raegal Kahir and James Jamius. The biggest event of her tenure would also be her last: the kingdom was rocked by murders, murders which carried traces of malignant witchcraft. It seemed the threat her ancestor Kylara faced had resurfaced, and through some kind of powerful magical distortion was hunting and killing ancestors of the Lansings. Aided by loyal allies, the Lansings entered Aglaia's realm, and they trapped her inside a tree. Thinking they had ended the threat, they left, however this was not the case and she escaped. Lavinia entered the realm one final time and did battle with her one on one sacrificing her life to kill Aglaia once and for all. Caius the Slayer Perhaps the most unlikely to inherit out of all of the candidates ready to take the throne, the sickly and mysterious Caius Elysian, son to Caden, was named such by the former Queen's will. While he was not famed for anything to do with state or nobility he was, in fact, very well known as a slayer of dangerous beasts - rumours say that this was because only slayer monsters held the ingredients to the medicine that he needed to keep himself alive. While his rule was quiet and mostly uneventful, he did make some real changes to Misthalite law and the way it’s council worked, and he facilitated the establishment of the Concordat of Varrock, which prevented major war in Gielinor as Kandarin, Asgarnia and the Kharid all agitated in rivalry. He would later abdicate in favour of a non-Lansing - his half brother Kasharren - and many saw this as the end of the Lansing Dynasty. They would be wrong. Essiander the Dauntless Miranda, the niece and adopted daughter of Elrina, took the throne after her mother's second reign and took the name Essiandar. Truly being the first monarch to enjoy the restored kingdom and dynasty, her reign was fairly short but she did achieve a few things, chief among them she managed to remove Camelot's forces from Edgeville by threatening them with war - King Rhames of Camelot withdrew his forces instantly, preferring to consent to Essiandar's vision. Establishing herself as bold ruler, she restored functioning government over the whole of Misthalin, and brought an end to the mismanagement of her mother's chief minister, Tommen Calderon, subsuming him to a better official, who streamlined the government and detangled it. She later abdicated for unknown reasons in favour of her sister Essi. Eirwen the Gracious The young and quiet princess was next to take the throne, a gentle and very kind soul who many mistook at first as timid. Those who served her as Regent and Councillors knew better. She was actually a distinctive and cautious ruler, often cutting through the political filibuster. She had a reign of respectable length, which was largely successful, marked by her many accomplishments. This included sanctioning a reorganisation of the Misthalite military which bolstered its efficiency, reconciling the Misthalite Crown with the Wizards' Tower, and applying Misthalin's soft power in ending the Kharidian slave trade. However, by far her largest achievements in launching an aid programme to help relieve the poverty and disrepair of those who lived in the slums of Varrock,. Following its completion, she stepped down, leaving the next ruler to be chosen by the council - marking the end of the Lansing dynasty's tenure. Afterword Unlike many who have ruled with war or fear, the House of Lansing built this country up, and did so with peace and rational thought, always opting for diplomacy instead of conflict. It is clear from this history that we should all learn from their example - instead of rushing to anger or combat, sometimes we must look into ourselves and find a kind and just path. The Lansings built this country, my country and for that as its new ruler, I am truly grateful. Long live Misthalin, and may the Lansings continue to live long and prosper. Category:Misthalin Category:Books Category:In-Character History Category:Documents